\'Apogee Games' is a video game publisher which began in the late 1980s. Unlike traditional publishers which sold games in retail outlets, Apogee sold their software via the shareware distribution method, depending mostly on BBS's for distribution of their software. Typically they would provide the first installment of a game trilogy for free and then would sell the remaining installments by mail order. Apogee now sells its software via the traditional retail model, though it still offers it earlier titles via shareware.
Their success was bolstered by many successful id Software games such as Commander Keen and Wolfenstein 3D. When id severed their ties with Apogee with their release of DOOM in 1993, the company began to flounder. Apogee recovered, but is not as strong a company as it was with the id titles.
Apogee has two spin-off brands, 3D Realms and Pinball Wizards. 3D Realms is responsible for the latest installments of the successful Duke Nukem and Max Payne series. Pinball Wizards on the other hand, develops pinball based titles.
The latest Duke Nukem, Duke Nukem 4, will be released, according to the company, "when it's done." 3D Realms development team was apparently understaffed at the beginning but is now picking up speed on the Duke Nukem 4 project.
The current successful title is the Max Payne sequel, Max Payne 2: The Fall of Max Payne, where the original was overseen by 3D Realms.Current Products
